As well known in the art, particular settings are required for a mobile telecommunications apparatus to allow access to individual services such as messaging and data services. For example, with a telephone handset for a network such as GSM, particular settings need to be made to access wireless application protocol (WAP), general packet radio service (GPRS) multimedia messaging services (MMS) and email, and the settings are different for each network. Some network providers offer some services and not others. Further examples of services that require individual settings are instant messaging (IM) and presence enhanced contacts (PEC).
Usually, the seller of the handset enters the particular settings manually at the time that a user of the handset becomes a subscriber for a particular network, or the subscriber may provided with data to allow manual entry of the settings. Also, the settings can be downloaded to the handset over the air, for example in a short message service (SMS) communication.
A problem with the prior approach is that each network operator may have its own settings, which requires them to be set up individually on each handset. If the settings were pre-loaded before the handset is sold to a subscriber, then a large number of settings would need to be stored, which would use up large amounts of memory and would require the user to carry out a complicated selection procedure to scroll through and find the settings for a particular network. Furthermore, individual network operators are reluctant to have their competitors' settings pre-loaded into the handset.
Thus, hitherto, when a handset is commissioned by a seller or by the user, a subscriber identity device is inserted into the handset and thereafter, the settings are loaded manually so as to provide access to services provided on the network chosen by the subscriber such as WAP, GPRS, MMS, IM, PEC and email. However, this is laborious and time consuming.
The present invention provides an improved way of initialising a mobile telecommunications apparatus with settings for a particular operator network. which overcomes these problems and disadvantages.